by Aria Adams
Could his parties be an elaborate cover for his true political leanings? Did Segue really want a more equal society? It was almost impossible to reconcile the two concepts.
We were waved through the checkpoint almost immediately, and everyone scrambled for seats as the driver sped up. He seemed on edge, and I wasn’t sure why until about thirty klicks later, when we were stopped by a makeshift blockade of two long black vehicles parked sideways on the road, and a bunch of what looked like razor wire stretched out between them.
“Shit. We’ve been ambushed,” Canem said. “Everyone remain calm.”
Men with disintegrators pulled the doors open. The slaves just sat passively, waiting to be taken. Having served in the military for over a decade before I worked my way to the top and got selected as Alpha, I had other ideas.
I leapt out of the vehicle, wrestling one of the men to the ground and disarming him. Picking up his disintegrator, I shot him. A blast of red light almost touched my shoulder and I rolled to the ground. Beneath the vehicle, I sighted the boots of a second and third man. I shot at their feet, and they were immediately disintegrated.
One man remained. I saw him locked into a tussle with Canem, who was fighting back valiantly while everyone else just sat there. I got behind the attacker and disintegrated him. The sudden disappearance made Canem overbalance and he landed on the ground. I helped him up.
“We need to hurry. More could come at any moment.” He looked shaken, which didn’t surprise me. I took two more of the disintegrators in case I needed them again, and we drove carefully into the sand around the blockade, before continuing on the road.
What bothered me most was that the other vehicle had apparently made it through unmolested. They couldn’t have been far ahead of us when we were stopped. We had been targeted. That meant this was probably a planned ambush.
Kitty
We were expecting new arrivals, today, and some of the women had arranged their hair differently or used food to redden their lips. I wasn’t sure what they expected to happen, but I ran my fingers through my hair, washed my ears and tried to ignore touching the stump of my poor tail. It only reminded me of what I’d lost.
The women here were polarized. None of them could handle the concept that there might be good masters out there. As far as they were concerned, any man who tried to take control was a bad person. I understood how they’d arrived at that thought but hearing conversations where it was reiterated over and over wore me out.
My master had been a good man. He hadn’t done everything in the world that I would have liked, but he had fed me, taken care of me, never tortured me for his amusement, and the only thing I was upset about was that he’d given me to someone else for an hour. Which, having heard other people’s stories, was literally nothing compared to what some women went through.
I felt alienated from everyone because I couldn’t talk about him. It was frowned on for any of us to have romantic relationships. We were supposed to make impersonal sex connections with no emotional involvement, then we were supposed to move on.
I just couldn’t get with the program. I wanted to feel something. Sex without emotions was pointless, so I didn’t waste my time with it, despite occasional advances from some of the males, here. Everyone here seemed to think sex with their masters had been empty and meaningless—a chore—but I hadn’t felt that way. And now he was gone.
When the vehicles arrived, Telicia went out to greet them. She returned looking pale but trying to cover it up with a big smile, as a crowd of newcomers came into the patio.
“Both transports arrived this time! Neither of them was intercepted!” she exclaimed.
“We were attacked,” Canem added. “But we fought them off. I’d be taken right now if it wasn’t for this guy.” He stepped aside and a tall, muscular man appeared. I stared at him for a long time. I was going crazy, because he looked just like my master. But there was no way the alpha of the planet would be here, in a commune for escaped slaves. Anyway, this man had tattoos and his head was clean shaven.
His eyes locked on mine and a jolt of electricity made my mouth fall open. Something passed between us. Something I’d only ever felt for one man. Was I finally moving on? He gave no indication that he recognized me, and anyway, why should he? I couldn’t even guess the number of things that would have to happen for this to be my master.
“You two can take the prisoner to the locked cell,” Telicia said to two of the men on the patio. They immediately went to attend to him, and I broke off the newcomer’s gaze. I turned back to my food and pointedly began speaking to Tasha about the vegetables she was growing.
“Is this seat taken?” A deep voice reached into my chest and squeezed my heart. I would recognize that voice anywhere. Only it was just tribal man, again, driving me insane, impersonating my master to haunt me, or something.
“I was just leaving,” I replied, gulping my soup and stuffing the rest of my bread in my mouth so I could escape. My cheeks were puffed out with food, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t do this. Couldn’t talk to this man. Whoever he was, he was hitting a nerve that had torn so deep I had no way of dealing with him.
I fled to the dorm and lay down on my small but comfortable bed. Forcing my emotions to stay put, I chewed the rest of the bread, but the food had turned to ash in my mouth and swallowing it was a challenge.
When my mouth was empty, I finally listened to the waterfall of sorrow in my heart. I’d occasionally missed the simplicity of life with my master, but this was the first time I’d truly been honest with myself and acknowledged how much I missed him. Life here was pleasant, but I suddenly recognized there was something missing—it felt like I was waiting for my master, just like when I’d been in the kitty farm and it had felt like I was waiting to be exported.
I let myself cry for the loss while I had this rare time alone.
Chapter 17
Hervé
When I saw her, my heart leapt into my throat. It was unusual for me to get so emotional. Our eyes met and the instant bolt of lightning told me it was definitely my Kitty. Not only was she alive, she was here.
She stared at me, as though trying to figure me out, and I cursed the effective disguise I’d donned. My face was all over the planet, on announcements and other media, and no-one had recognized me. I hadn’t expected Kitty to be here, but since she was, I was bitterly disappointed that she didn’t know me.
I decided to take control, as much as I could, since I was still pretending to be a slave, and I approached her.
“Is this seat taken?”
The look she gave me was confusing. She gulped her soup down, stuffed the bread in her face and left. My arm twitched as it began to reach out and grab her wrist, but I stopped myself. I had to let her go or blow my cover.
She would be back.
“Feel free to sit with us. Kitrina’s a bit weird. We’re not sure if she likes men,” another slave said, preening slightly as she spoke. “I’m Tasha. And I definitely like men.”
The rest of the evening was more of the same. The women here were more emboldened than any slaves I’d ever met. I wasn’t sure how to handle them, but I suspected the rules of engagement were more complicated than I was used to.
I dodged numerous attempts at flirtation and one outright proposition, from Tasha, who didn’t seem to like hearing the word ‘no’. All the social rules had been rewritten and I’d never felt less sure of myself.
Attempts to inquire about Bertrand’s welfare were met with silence, from Telicia. Unacceptable. I would have to find him and see for myself, and be prepared to get him and Kitty out of here when necessary, although I was still hoping to find some evidence here, linking this place to Segue.
What was most frustrating was this didn’t seem like the headquarters of the resistance. It felt like another holding place, like the safehouse, where we waited for something else to happen. I still needed to get to the bottom of things, but I was losing patience for all the wheels within the wh
eels.
Hervé
“Let me carry that for you.” I took the heavy grain sack from Kitty’s hands and she gave me a smoldering glare.
“I’ve managed to carry it every day since I got here. Why would I suddenly need help?” she demanded.
She had grown feistier since she’d been away from me, and while it wasn’t very appropriate for a pet, I found I liked it. There was a fire inside her that had been almost extinguished when I first met her.
The difference a few weeks’ freedom had made to her attitude was profound. I didn’t usually tolerate insolence from anyone, however.
“Just for that, I should put you over my knee and spank you,” I murmured.
Her eyes widened and she visibly paled. She snatched at the grain sack but I was too strong and she ended up flailing. Helpless. I grinned down at her, amused that she seemed ready to bite me although my swagger didn’t hide the disappointment. I wanted her to want me. To throw herself at me. Instead, after all I’d been through for her, it seemed my feelings were one-sided.
“Give me back my grain. You’re depriving poor poultry of their breakfast.”
“Say please.” Teasing her was better than dwelling on the negative.
Her eyes lowered and she looked like she was at war with herself. “Please.”
“Please what?”
“Gahhh!” She lost her temper and her fist flew straight at my face. I was holding the grain and so surprised that I didn’t make a move to stop her. Her knuckles connected with my jaw. Although she didn’t have a whole lot of strength behind the attack, and it barely ached, it left me stunned that she would strike me.
I dropped the grain and was about to grab her, haul her over my shoulder and take her somewhere for a punishment but as I half-stepped toward her, Kitty’s eyes widened and she grabbed the grain sack, her knees bending under its weight. She staggered away to the poultry pen.
I watched her go. I needed to change my approach. I’d never had so much trouble getting a girl before. Having said that, I’d always been able to take whatever I wanted, in the city. Deep down, I think all masters were fundamentally afraid that slaves, given the choice, would turn them down.
Calmer, I walked to the poultry pen and stood in the entrance, closing the door behind me. If anyone came by, they’d see us through the wire mesh but with the door closed, Kitty couldn’t run.
“Why do you keep following me?” Her voice was strained, and she kept her back to me.
“I’m drawn to you, Kitty.”
Grain scattered on the concrete.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not f—it’s not my name. Can’t you just leave me alone?”
“All the other girls are throwing themselves at me.”
“Then bother them.”
“You don’t even look at me properly. You look through me.”
She spun around, hands balled at her sides, feet slightly apart, and in her face I saw furious heartbreak. Her narrowed eyes shone with tears and her lips were pressed together so hard they were almost invisible. Her chest rose and fell.
I held her gaze.
“There. Are you happy? I looked.”
“You glared.”
“Were you sent here to torment me?” she demanded in a strange voice. “Are you even real?”
“I’m real.” What the hell?
She deflated a little and looked away, unable to meet my gaze again.
“You... you look a lot like someone I got taken from. But it’s not possible.”
“You look a lot like my Kitty.” I decided to be honest with her. If she raised the alarm, I knew we were done and I would leave her here. But I knew her, and I was certain she would give in to her curiosity.
Her eyes snapped to mine, and she ended the standoff by taking two steps forward, scrutinizing my face.
Sensing my moment, I closed the distance between us and pulled her against my body.
Kitty
When he grabbed me and pulled me into his chest, I froze and tried to struggle free. But the moment my face hit his hard abs, I inhaled his scent. And I whimpered.
He had transformed his entire physical appearance, but he couldn’t change his scent. No-one could. And the thing about being a Felyne was my nose mapped people, when I knew them well enough.
Every scent told a story. This one was power, absolute dominance over everything else on the planet. It was also loss, and loneliness. Anger, but I didn’t think it was directed at me. Hope. When it was all combined, it made a scent as unique and distinctive as every other in the galaxy.
It was him.
“M-m-m—” I couldn’t say it, even though I knew it to be true. He held me tight and tears began to overflow past my lower lashes.
“Shh. Nobody here knows.”
I let him hold me for the longest time, until the world stopped spinning and my legs held my weight again.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you. Remember what I said to you in the bathroom before we were separated.”
I remembered. Cameras and microphones, and he was at the party for a different reason than to watch the entertainment. Any last vestiges of doubt were gone from my mind. Only my master would have known about that. We had been alone while he held my hair and I vomited. It wasn’t exactly a romantic moment.
“Are you leaving soon?” I decided it was the least loaded question out of all the ones I wanted to ask.
“Not without you.”
A rush of warmth ran through my heart, but my mind wondered how I could ever go back.
“I like it here,” I told him. “Nobody gets hurt.”
“Yes, you’ve created a peaceful, but sterile, life for yourself here. Remember who you are. You’re my kitty.”
“I know who I am. I’m Kitrina now. I chose a real name for myself.”
He shook his head. “You’re hiding behind it. You’ve invented the person you think you need to be, because being yourself was too hard.”
“I didn’t have a self to be! I lived my whole life in a captivity dictated by bipeds! I didn’t even know I could walk on two feet because masters train kitties to crawl from day one! My whole subspecies is kept captive, farmed and used by other humanoids. All I’ve ever been was who they said I was. And now I decide.” It was the longest thing I’d ever said to him, and I knew I’d gone too far. Probably because he’d hit a nerve. I knew my new name didn’t feel right, didn’t fit me properly, but I didn’t know what to do about it. I wasn’t going to remain nameless just to be true to myself. “I’m sorry. But I can’t just become a mindless plaything because it’s what you want. I’m a person, too.”
“I know. And I know we will need to rewrite the rules. But you’ve seen other masters and slaves. You know we never had what they have. It was never about hurting you, or making you fear me. I wanted you to be happy.”
“Maybe I want the freedom to be miserable.” I was being peevish, and I knew it. He swatted my ass lightly and a spark of desire ignited in my core. Only he could ever have this effect on me.
“I want you,” he murmured.
“If you take me,” I began, knowing I was about to dictate our relationship and fearing his reaction, “You must promise to never, ever share me. Never.”
“It nearly killed me watching her walk away with your leash,” he murmured. “It was the biggest mistake I ever made. I’m sorry.”
“Promise.” I’d never had the upper hand before and every instinct screamed at me to back down.
“I promise.” He didn’t even hesitate. “I don’t want to share you.”
I finally met his gaze, instead of staring at his shoulder, and I saw the sadness of a thousand goodbyes. My lips parted of their own accord and time slowed down. Chickens and grain faded into nothingness. He leaned down and claimed my mouth, his lips crushing mine as he took me. My whole body turned to jelly, and I let his tongue plunder my mouth.
Th
e fiery heat from his kiss filled my body, and I realized I’d been cold deep inside my soul for as long as we were apart.
“Hey! New guy! You’re supposed to be repairing furniture!”
We broke apart reluctantly, and his gaze was soulful as he left. The feeling of his lips on mine lingered for many minutes after the poultry coop door had swung closed behind him.
Chapter 18
Hervé
I was crossing the patio to the place where I was meant to be fixing furniture when a bell began to toll. Commotion broke out, and everyone began moving around the patio, until they all sat at the long tables where we ate. Except it wasn’t food time.
I had to hand it to them, these ex-slaves were well-conditioned to respond to the sound of that bell. Not wanting to look suspicious, I followed suit, sitting beside Kitty.
Telicia appeared, flanked by two men with disintegrators. Beside them stood Commander Segue. Everyone was silent as a dozen more men came out. I subtly patted my waistband and felt the two disintegrators I’d taken from the highway raiders the day before.
“There was a shortfall of six slaves in the last arrival,” Telicia said, her voice shaking. “The men here have agreed to forget about the incident and leave us alone if ten people will volunteer to go with them.”
“Why ten?” Canem demanded. “And I thought the attacks were random!”
“We have an agreement,” Segue began. “For each slave that comes here, one gets diverted to my private compound outside the city. However, in the last shipment, I got zero slaves. And four of my men were killed. I am here in person to make it clear this is unacceptable.”
“Six plus four is ten. It is perfectly reasonable,” Telicia added. I looked around at the escaped slaves. Some were nodding in agreement but most were horrified.
It all made sense now. Why Segue was helping slaves escape. Why the bombings weren’t being done by the people I thought were responsible... he was getting his own militia to bomb buildings, then getting a separate group to take the slaves.